Last week, we saw Paul and Barnabas entering the city of Pisidian Antioch (in modern-day Turkey) where they visited the synagogue on the Sabbath. After being asked to share with those present, Paul provided them with a “history lesson” of the Jewish people, and then introduced them to Jesus, focusing on His death, burial, and resurrection. And then Paul concluded his message by saying:
Therefore, let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39).
Paul made it clear that Jesus’ death on the cross and the shedding of His blood made provision for the forgiveness of our sins. So, what was their response? Luke records:
As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath. Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas,… (Acts 13:42-43).
I am always amazed at the power of the spoken Word of God. Those in the synagogue who believed in the truth of Paul’s message spent the entire week with Paul and Barnabas, growing in their faith and rejoicing to learn that God had sent Jesus to redeem them. So, what happened the following Sabbath? Let’s take a look:
The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul and were blaspheming. Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles (Acts 13:44-46).
It looks like Paul’s message the week before stirred up the entire city as word spread quickly about the message that Paul brought to the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles in the synagogue. And then jealousy began to rear its ugly head as the power and authority of the Jewish leaders in the community became threatened. In response, they proceeded to contradict Paul’s message, saying that Jesus could not have been the long-expected Messiah and questioning His resurrection from the dead. Paul’s response was swift. He didn’t argue with them, but simply said that the message of salvation had to be shared with the Jews first, and then if they rejected it, they would turn to the Gentiles. Paul recounted the Lord’s words:
“I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, that You may bring salvation to the end of the earth” (Acts 13:47).
As you might have guessed, the responses from the Gentiles and the jealous Jews were quite different. Check out what Luke tells us about the Gentile response:
When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed (Acts 13:48).
The forgiveness of sins and the beginning of a whole new life brought unbounded joy to the hearts of those who believed Paul’s message. But how about being “appointed” to eternal life? What in the world does this mean? It certainly looks like a number of the Gentiles had previously been “appointed” to receive eternal life, and then upon hearing the gospel, they responded in faith to their appointment. The English word “appointed” comes from the Greek verb “tasso” which means to “appoint,” “ordain,” or “set.” If the Gentiles had formerly been “appointed” to receive eternal life, then this naturally brings up the issue of predestination and God’s role in it. Interestingly, Luke could have chosen the word prooridzo (predestined) if he wanted to indicate predestination, but he did not use that word.
The debate between Calvinists and Arminians will not be resolved here, but we do know that while many of the Jews voluntarily rejected the Gospel, many of the Gentiles voluntarily received it. Although I am not a Calvinist, I have many friends who are. For me, the most significant verse regarding the issue of “election” is plainly stated by the Apostle Peter when he wrote his first letter telling his audience that they were:
“God’s elect…chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Peter 1:1-2).
If God is God, then He certainly foreknows everything that is going to happen in a person’s life, and therefore, he knows all those (Jew or Gentile) who will believe the Gospel and receive Christ as their Savior of their own free will. God already knows those who will repent of their sins and come to faith in Christ in response to the conviction of the Holy Spirit following the hearing or reading of God’s Word. We call this “foreknowledge of faith,” and these are the ones who are the “elect,” or those “appointed” to eternal life. Of course, Calvinists have a different spin on this, but this is where I have landed in my own theological quest for the truth regarding the issue of “election.”
Moving ahead, Luke also tells us that as the Gospel was spreading throughout the entire region,
The Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district (Acts 13:50).
Let’s remember that persecution of the church did not come from the Romans until Nero set fire to Rome in AD 64, and Paul’s First Missionary Journey began almost 20 years before the fire! And so, for almost 35 years, from Jesus death, burial, and resurrection to Nero’s fire in Rome, persecution of the church came solely from the Jews, the ones who had killed their own Messiah. What was Paul’s response to their rejection of the Gospel? Luke tells us that,
…they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:51-52).
Shaking the dust off of one’s shoes (or sandals) was a sign that Paul and Barnabas would have nothing more to do with them! They had presented the Good News to them, and they had rejected it. And now, their future was in God’s hands. But let’s remember that dozens of those remaining in Psidian Antioch had become Christians, and I’d like to believe that as they rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, they were also continued to be vibrant witnesses throughout the city.
I’m sure that we have all felt the pain stemming from the rejection of the Gospel by a family member or friend. This is nothing new. We need to remember that Jesus said that the narrow gate and the narrow road are chosen by only a few. And Jesus also shared about the soils, that is, the different conditions of the heart that when the seed is cast: some seeds fall on hard, resistant soil; some falls on shallow, rocky soil and springs up for only a moment; other seeds are choked by the weeds, the cares and concerns of the word; but some seed falls on good, deep, and rich soil and bears an abundant harvest.
One thing to remember about the soils, is that the sower would continue to sow seed year after year, and by God’s grace, someone’s heart that was resistant one year may become soft and ready to receive the seed the following year. The key for all of us is to continue sowing the seeds of the Good News. Like Paul and Barnabas, we are called to be lights in a dark world that rejects the Gospel. And as lights, we need to remember to keep letting our lights shine by living a godly life and sharing the Good News of Jesus whenever we have an opportunity.
Next week, it’s on to Iconium. Blessings to all.
